An open letter to Senator Graham

I, and I think many of my neighbors, are anxious these days in the wake of the recent election of Donald Trump. I am concerned that a Trump administration will not respect the basic rights of Americans, hurt the most vulnerable of our citizens, and take the country along a destructive path relative to the environment.

For example, Donald Trump recently tweeted a suggestion that people who burn the American flag lose their citizenship. You went to law school. You know that there is no way under the US Constitution to take away someone’s citizenship (unless obtained fraudulently). I’m no fan of flag burning, but the Constitution must be followed.

Trump is taking the lead from Alex Jones, one of the nuttiest crackpot conspiracy theorists on the Internet, on several issues including his unsubstantiated claim of massive voting by illegal immigrants. And this nonsense about climate change being a Chinese hoax? And don’t forget that until recently Trump was a birther!

The rule of law, science, common decency and competence go beyond party lines and political differences. I hope that you and your fellow senators will provide checks and balances against the most extreme excesses of any executive, and particular the poorly-prepared one we just elected. I hope you will not rubber stamp incompetent and extremist nominees for executive positions and the courts.

I want President Trump to succeed and I want America to be great under his leadership. He’s going to need a lot of help doing that. Please help.